Sir, – The angle you took on the development of cycle lanes on the Dublin city quays reflects the obsession this country has with cars as a primary mode of transport ("New quays cycle lane to lead to restrictions for Dublin motorists", June 17th). If our cities are to become more pleasant places to work and live in, we have to find alternatives to cars for inner-city commutes.
As someone who spends most of his time in the city centre, I’d find it refreshing if every improvement were seen as such and not only in terms of how it disadvantages one type of road user. – Yours, etc,
COLIN McGOVERN,
Vernon Avenue,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – As a daily commuter into Dublin city centre, I was dismayed but not surprised by reports of the plans of the city manager, Owen Keegan, to restrict car traffic on the north quays to only one lane. What is unsurprising about the proposal is that, while it is driven by the council’s noble intention to reduce the number of car journeys into the city, it proposes no solutions as to how affected commuters will adjust to this development or what realistic alternatives will be put in place for them.
The idea that Dublin can become a cycle-friendly, car-free urban zone is indeed admirable, and initiatives such as the Dublin Bike scheme have rightly been lauded. However, the reality facing thousands of commuters is somewhat different. Ironically, or perhaps predictably, the residents of the north and west of the city who use the quays and would be most affected by this decision are those who have fewest alternative options when it comes to commuting. Public transport from the outer reaches of Lucan and Blanchardstown or satellite towns in Meath and Kildare is of limited value at peak times and slows to a trickle outside those hours. The notion that commuters can simply hop on their bikes and freewheel into the office seems to overlook the distances involved, the Irish climate and the fact that not everyone is physically able to cycle long distances to work.
I am fortunate to live near a train station on the Maynooth line and so use public transport almost every day, but should I wish to come home after 6.30pm or to undertake anything more complex than a simple “A to B” journey, public transport becomes almost useless, therefore I do occasionally need to drive into the city and would like to retain that option. I am sure there are many thousands of people who have even fewer public transport options for whom the car is even more critical.
Traffic management is obviously a crucial part of the work of the city council; however this has to be more meaningful and better thought out than simply cutting off access for cars. Likewise, increasing the number of safe zones for cyclists is very important, but simply putting cyclists into car lanes is not good enough. There could be alternative options. The Liffey Boardwalk has been an utter failure as a civic amenity; could it be reimagined and extended as a cycle path? The Luas track runs parallel to the North Quays; is there space for a cycle lane there? The South Quays are traditionally less of a bottle-neck for traffic – were they examined as an option?
We are told Mr Keegan is a cycling enthusiast so perhaps he has his own opinions on how people should be commuting to work. What is disappointing, but again not particularly surprising, is to hear him describe the implementation of this proposal as “inevitable”, before it has been put out for public consultation or brought to the elected representatives of the council. This raises the wider question of how unelected officials can have such apparent autonomy, particularly since most of the affected citizens will reside outside the Dublin City Council area in the Fingal and South Dublin County Council areas, and perhaps highlights again why Dublin needs an overarching authority, such as a mayor, with powers in matters such as this. – Yours, etc,
CONOR O’DONOVAN,
Clonsilla Road,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – I must admit that I didn’t notice any of the successful candidates in the recent election for Dublin City Council advocating in their manifesto the creation of a cycle lane along the North Quays, thereby further tightening the tourniquet on other traffic. There is an easier way that council officials seem to have overlooked to reduce the amount of city centre traffic – that is to abolish private car allowances and free parking for councillors and officials; if they like cycling so much, they should lead by example. – Yours, etc,
ROGER A BLACKBURN,
Abbey Hill,
Naul,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Tony Moriarty’s suggestion (June 17th) of making a Garda website available for people to send footage of reckless cyclists (or, indeed, all road users) is interesting. As a law-abiding cyclist, I doubt I would have anything to fear from such an initiative.
I do wonder, however, which of his “fellow pedestrians could walk with more safety” – the ones who walk on cycle paths, or those who cross the road wearing headphones without looking when they “sense” motorised traffic is no longer moving?
Or could it be that we only recognise poor road etiquette in those that take another form of transport to ourselves? – Yours, etc,
MICK McMULLIN,
Granville Road,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.